Dec 1, 2016

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare - IW_Eric

Hi Steam Community,

Here are the specific notes for the patch we pushed today. We will be disabling COD Points on Steam shortly. That was pushed in error.

PC Specific notes

• Fixed an issue where users with long usernames would overflow out of the boundaries of the match loading screen
• Fixed a bug where a user could exceed the 10 point Loadout limit
• Fixed a bug where special characters in a username would cause stuttering for other players
• Fixed the keybind option for Taunts in Winner’s Circle
• Fix for a framerate hitch that causes audio issues when a player progresses from one level to the next in SP
• Added mouse support to the lobby member slide feature
• Fixed a bug when text and voice communications were set to “block”, text communications were still displayed
• Fixed a bug where the game stop responding if a player switched from windowed to full screen
• Fixed a bug where multiple keybinds are getting unbound if a player uses the Copy Keys from mode to mode
• Fixed an issue where PC buttons will briefly display the old help buttons when disabling a gamepad

General Updates

• Notification for the “latest” calling cards from drops
• Fix to Taunt menu selection and audio queues
• Fix for Orion Initiative Mission Team Commander congratulations call out after ranking up
• Fix for accessories not remaining equipped after leaving menu
• Joining a game in-progress and then losing no longer ends your win streak
• Adjusted overlap of text in Calling Card and Emblem menus
• The “Good Citizen” Medal is now correctly awarded to the player who owned the package, not the one who picked it up
• Fix for being awarded Scrap Assist points after dealing damage to a friendly Shock Sentry
• Fix for one of the Synaptic Taunts not appearing correctly
• Adjustment to the Banshee ammo counter animation
• Added ricochet to the Epic Oni prototype, Kaiken
• Fixed a bug where an error would occur after calling in a UAV
• Fixed a bug when holding a weapon and gesturing
• Fix for players being given Missions for Rigs that are not currently unlocked
• Fixed a bug where the Banshee – Siren wasn’t having an impact on other players after being damaged
• Fix for the HUD Uplink satellite drone icon not showing which team controls the drone while in splitscreen
• Fixed a timing bug where a turret would linger on a dead target before proceeding to target another enemy
• Fixed an issue where a player would get the wrong mission in a match
• Fixed a freeze issue when attempting to access the Store
• Fixed a bug where splitscreen users were unable to change their team or role in custom games
• Fix for a bug on Frontier where shadows would flicker in the hallway in splitscreen
• Adjusted the killcam when a player is killed by a Bio Spike on Frontier
• Added function to allow the user to rotate a weapon in the Loadout select menu
• Fixed a bug that would kick a player to the Main Menu when using the Steel Dragon Payload
• Fixed a bug for secondary controllers for users in splitscreen
• Fixed crash that would occur after map restarts
• Fix for users seeing repeat Rig videos
• Removed “Connecting to Matchmaking Service” text in Loadout menu after searching for a Public Match
• Fixed an issue in splitscreen where both users would be kicked from the Loadout Menu if scrolling through it at the same time
• Fixed a bug where users were able to temporarily gain access to locked Loadout slots
• Fixed a bug in splitscreen where a user who enters Prestige would see red on the screen and would cause the player to lose Create A Class functionality, revealing placeholder icons
• Adjusted the death camera from penetrating into corpses on the map
• Fixed a bug on Genesis where the Vulture could get stuck inside of buildings
• Fixed a bug where bots would hover around the position of a dropped flag by the opposing team in CTF
• Fix for various overlapping texts in some menus
• Fixed a bug to ensure the location map for deploying Bombardment and Scorcher streaks wouldn’t be cut off when in splitscreen
• Fix for the cook timer being visually offset in splitscreen
• Fixed an error message and/or infinite loading screen after buying the Season Pass (only specific languages)
• Fix for possible stat loss when signing into the same PSN account on multiple consoles
• Fixed an issue the reticles on the DMR-1 Spectacle prototype are scoped causing the reticles to overlap the edges of sight in-game
• Various lobby merging lobby fixes
• Splitscreen players will now be awarded Keys and Mission Team Rank
• Fixed a bug in the Quartermaster screen that would cause hitching after opening a drop
• Moved Gender Voice Option to Rig Appearance Menu

Zombies in Spaceland

• Potential Luitween Error fix – please let us know if you still experience this in Zombies!
• Further work to ensure AFK players don’t stay in the game and continue to matchmaking
• The Headcutter damage exploit vs. Alien has been balanced
• Adjustment to pause menu visuals during splitscreen

COD CASTER/CWL

• Fix to 3rd person spectator showing zoomed in winner’s circle
• Add a sync intermission countdown with the host in CODCaster
• Adjustments to team colors/logos in CODCaster
• Fix for menus in CODCaster while in splitscreen
• Removing ricochet tracers for energy weapons in CWL
• Fixed a bug where changes to Team Settings in CODCaster would be reflected in the previous game’s match summary
• Added a “Follow Drone Camera” feature to CODCaster where the drone will be followed when thrown by the spectated player
• Fixed a bug where the Objective Status in the Display Settings is set to “on”, the screen would display red for allies and enemies
• Adjusted the Payload charge rate and score modifier to normal in CWL rules
• Support for MLG.tv

Dec 1, 2016

Patch Notes from December 1

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare - IW_Eric

Nov 18, 2016

REVISED: Patch Notes from November 17 and update November 18

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare - IW_Eric

Hi Steam Community!

Thank you for your patience. We pushed a patch live yesterday and wanted to give you provide visibility into what's happening.

Update - November 18

2XP and 2WXP is live! Earn double XP and double weapon XP in multiplayer this weekend until Monday, November 21.

More to follow as we update...

Patch Notes - November 17

There was over 1,000 bug fixes in this title update across MP and Zombies this go around. Some were smaller, backend fixes and adjustments and some were larger well known issues that we received from you and your feedback, so thank you!

Multiplayer

-Fixes for Medals
-General fixes for Infected mode
-Removing CTF Flags in Winner’s Circle; adjusted session state change for games where there’s no kill cam
-Map exploits (we know some of you are reporting one on Genesis; we’re working on it)
-Removal of Taunts that weren't supposed to be unlocked
-Localization formatting fixes
-Adjusted a challenge to correctly reference Propulsion rather than Rushdown
-Fixed typos
-Adjusted the challenge for killing players in the air just a tinnnny bit more lenient
-EAK ADS fire fix
-Fixed an issue where the 2nd player in splitscreen would not earn any Mission Team Progress
-Added a sound for tripmine projectile
-Fix for Synaptic death going through the ground
-Add a win to the top 3 players in FFA modes for leaderboard stats and show victory on the final win/lose/tie HUD
-Created more contract between the 3 Scorestreaks that are selected versus the ones that are disabled
-Adjusted points for score per bomb plant
-Fixed accessory collision on the R.A.W.
-Adjusted a Frontline spawn point on Riot due to intersection geometry
-Fix for previews of Mission Team emblems when they were still locked
-Adjusted gun camos
-FFA score increase from 50 to 100
-Fixed the collision of the strap on the Karma from glitching through the other side of the gun
-DMR-1 – Epic- No longer supports the Variable Zoom Scope
-Enlarged the collision shape on cosmetics to prevent clipping with various weapons
-Fix for one extra frame of latency that was appearing in the muzzle flashes
-Fixed a bug where bots wouldn’t pick up crates in Drop Zone
-Fixed a bug where the Stinger would lock on to your own Killstreaks in FFA
-Fix for S&D crash
-Better win conditions that will prevent draws in Reinforce
-Combat Burst duration tuning for CWL
-CWL – adjustments to recipe for correct Payloud charge and score rates
-Added Infected mode
-Adjustment to the Warden Killstreak on Breakout
-Pick 10 points are now blue
-Added ability to see the chosen Rig and mini combat record of others players in a lobby

Zombies in Spaceland

-Fix for pap zappers having no ammo after you pick them back up off the standee
-Fix for pap zappers not having camo after putting back on the standee
-Fix for Brute having his helmet on incorrectly after removing it after he grabbed a zombie
-Fix for zombies who "walk on air"
-Fixes for certain cards with the Alien Fight
-Front end camera transition fixes
-Fix for the croc mouth (sometimes it wouldn’t return to its original height)
-Fix for seeing player outlines when they are playing emulated arcade games
-Allow clowns to be part of the "kill marked" challenges
-Make sure the Brute zombie doesn't decide to grab/kill zombies who are marked for a challenge
-Fix for players being able to jump+sprint down the slide
-Add the soul key progression to the front end.
-Fix for players being able to repair a window from too far away and avoid being attacked
-Fix for N31L's pause/unpause functionality being broken after letting him auto-pause due to multiple failed challenges in a row
-Fixed the occasional crawling zombie playing a standing death animation
-Reducing emissive on camos
-Give player a hit reward if melee’ing during Infinite Ammo

PC Specific Updates

* Add support for raw mouse input.
* Fixed issues where recent changes to ButtonHelperText were not playing nice with the user's ability to change gamepad enabled status.
* Additional restart game warning has been added to the "Optimal Video" option to allow the user to be warned that the game will restart when setting to optimal settings.
* Changed Particle Lighting option description to be more descriptive and not imply it is a toggle.
* Fixed issue where a LUI error will occur when attempting to select a locked weapon in the SP loadout menu.
* CaC PC Keyboard-only - show key hint for personalize attachment and use a tinted background when on PC/Keyboard.
* Fixed mute hints on PC mouse and keyboard not displaying the hotkey. Fixed for CP/MP scoreboard and frontend lobbies.
* PC volumetric optimization
* Fix for PC entitlements
* PC - prompt user to update display driver if it does not meet our minimum version (we need to encourage users to take the latest AMD drivers to get shader cache fixes(
* Fix PC keyboard Jackal Roll to feel less mechanical
* Smoothly blend in aim desires for Jackal along the Roll axis while using keyboard and mouse. Note that Yaw and Pitch are still not blended while using mouse and keyboard to improve responsiveness.
* fix for Russian character decoding problem
* Colour Blind rendering fixes
* MenuButton in CP has been updated so that its width will be adjusted to match what it is currently displaying, and will no longer be anchored to the right in CP. This allows mouse input to not highlight or activate buttons when the mouse pointer is seemingly not going over anything.
* Improved Helper Button Bar on PC. These changes activate if the game is on PC, gamepad is disabled, and it is not ingame-SP.
* Helper buttons (commands on bottom of screen in menus) are reformatted to be large button to click on with the mouse.
* Select" helper button is not drawn.
* Keyboard hint is not drawn if the button is clickable.
* Non-clickable buttons will have their hint drawn, and they will not get the new button treatment.
* Certain helper buttons in MP frontend are no longer clickable (e.g. some of the hints in MP CaC, for hotkeys).
* Full Screen ghosting bug fix for multiple monitors
* Fixed issues with window client sizing when the Windows DPI setting is not 100%
* Stability fixes for multi-gpu setups
* Fix for GPU sync in SP for optimal latency input
* Zombies - Move player splash further to the right when offscreen to hide in Ultra widescreen mode on PC .
* Exfil - Player's jackal can get stuck in a locked-on state wherein it continues to speed forward without moving
* Fixed issue where certain UI items were still able to be selected and change the 3D scene view when using a mouse when editing a single loadout. This would occur when mousing over on the left side of the screen in the LoadoutSelect menu while running the game with an aspect ratio wider than 16:9.
* Fix for pre-baked shadows on PC
* Zombies - For PC keyboard - Fix 'unbound' button hint for unpausing a challenge.
* Adding missing processing of the self visibility data in the CPU skinning code.
* Fix estimation of mip chain counts for render targets and all single mip image resources.
* Cinematic hitching playback fix
* Fix an issue where the ship assault briefing window on OpsMap was offset incorrectly on non-16:9 aspect ratios.
* Fixed issue where a LUI error would occur when changing between gamepad and keyboard support.
* Zombies - Global - Users are unable to mute other players while using the Mouse and Keyboard control scheme while in a Zombies match.
* Fixed issue where attaching a controller when in the Gamepad Control Options menu would cause the Gamepad Enable/Disable selection to become inconsistent with the current gamepad enabled status.
* Fixing nameplates on PC when using non 16:9 aspect ratios.
* Invalidate shader cache on video driver version change
* Fixed an issue where when using the gamepad or keyboard to navigate and modify advanced video settings, the settings button being modified would lose focus every time the setting was changed and the "vid_reconfig" command was executed.
* Added "Copy other config" in controls for PC only
* Render resolution is now driven by total pixel count
* Fix the minimap jumping when pitch goes past 90 degrees on PC.
* Fixed issue where gamepad enable/disable option button could be locked if the user closes the game while the gamepad is enabled, disconnects the gamepad, relaunches the game, and declines to switch to mouse and keyboard when the popup to switch appears.
* Various advanced video options and optimal video bug fixes
* The Combat Rig payload/perk preview box will remain overlapping the Loadout previews when moving the mouse cursor down from 'Select Combat Rig' and rapidly pressing F1 and ESC.
* Fixing race condition in network status changed event code
* CP- End of match scoreboard broshot is cut off with a PC using an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 at Resolution 1920x1200
* Prevent PC from exiting frame early for throttling in the UI
* Fix for Keyboard and mouse controls are unable to interact with the in-game scoreboard.
* Updated Texture Resolution option on PC to only prompt the user to restart the game to update its setting after it loses focus from the user deselecting it after making a change to its value. If the user decides to not restart, the value returns to its original value before any changes had been made.
* Display numbers instead of special characters for bindings on keys 0-9 when playing in french
* Loadout menu now has Clear buttons on all applicable boxes.
* Loadout menu now has Personalize buttons on the weapon and scope buttons when applicable.
* Weapon name and rarity are moved to a different position to accomodate the new buttons.
* Scope "F1"/"Triangle" personalize hint now only displays if controller is enabled.
* Zombies - fix for facemelter distance ratio being too small
* Shrunk and moved the brightness box down on the PC options so it does not overlap the menu.
* Enable all killstreak actionslot keybindings to work in Drop Zone
* Update to PC FOV Scaler
* Fix for PC bug with cached shadows

Nov 18, 2016

REVISED: Patch Notes from November 17 and update November 18

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare - IW_Eric

Nov 14, 2016

Infinite Warfare's weepy ending sums up everything wrong with its story

Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's sentimental credits sequence caught me by surprise. Not because my heart was wrenched out: It's just so wistful and self-serious and unearned that I laughed in bafflement of it.

I didn't have room to discuss the story much in my review, so here s the gist of it (spoilers for the ending begin here). Protagonist Nick Reyes believes that his job as captain is solely to bring his crew home alive, despite his crew repeatedly pointing out how naive he's being, given that they're fighting for the fate of the earth. Of course, to save everyone, Reyes goes against this principle and does what has to be done and also selflessly sacrifices himself. But its not over yet: as the credits roll, the player is invited to listen to voice messages from all the main characters who died under Reyes' command the last words they spoke to their husbands, wives, and children.

My reaction at the time was to state bluntly in our work chat, At the end of Infinite Warfare you get to listen to the last words all your dead friends said to their families, to which the response was, uh. Because it is a weird way to end a Call of Duty, which is otherwise something Rolling Stone's Peter Travers would probably call "a thunderous, rollicking action ride!"

Infinite Warfare is a thematic shift for Call of Duty, to its detriment.

It feels like a plea from Infinite Warfare to be taken seriously. Whew, it s really been an emotional journey, hasn t it? Not really. I had no agency over the safety of the characters, and no deep connection to them. Maybe Reyes knew his cohorts well, but I mostly just shot up fascists with them. And Reyes is dead, anyway. He s not being confronted with these families losses, which might have actually been interesting for his character, I am.

It's also odd that these characters are only being humanized after the fact, in the credits. Infinite Warfare gives us idols of righteousness and justice and compassion, kills them to save everyone in a grand climactic battle, and then, as if it had forgotten to check off a box marked feels, suddenly thinks of the tragedy their families now face while the names of QA testers scroll by.

I can tell you with the utmost confidence that I died for something right and just, one says to his family, before going on to tell his daughter, You will always be daddy s little girl. I suppose that more than any other game in the series, Infinite Warfare truly is about duty, and the call to it, and the sacrifice it requires but its blunt emotional tools bounced right off me.

The tear-jerking voiceovers aren't the worst device ever, but they do generously exemplify why I didn t like Infinite Warfare s story. It grounds fantastical science fiction with mundane characters and unimaginative themes sacrifice is both necessary and sad taking itself desperately seriously instead of embracing the self-aware, over-the-top thriller it could be. Infinite Warfare is a thematic shift for Call of Duty, to its detriment.

Everyone's always looking really sad in this game.

Perhaps the main truth Call of Duty expressed is that the ends always justify the means so long as the means are a sick helicopter crash.

Call of Duty was once about fighting Russian ultranationalists and nuclear terrorists, and in Modern Warfare 2, an American general who sparks war between the US and Russia to encourage military enlistment and defense spending, insanely. As is typical of military thriller novels, CoD heroes weren't necessarily good people, they were just Doing What Had To Be Done to stop a nuclear apocalypse. They were born into an American pop culture fantasy that imagined that in the night, while we watched pundits bicker on TV, soldiers with glowing green goggles were out defeating terror at any cost. It's the same moral relativism story that's fueled eight seasons of 24, with who-knows-how-many seasons of 24: Legacy to go.

The main truth of Call of Duty is probably that the ends always justify the means so long as the means are a sick helicopter crash. It's never been hard-hitting commentary I don t really want it to be and becomes laughable when it takes itself too seriously. I rolled my eyes during the marketing of Black Ops 2, for instance, when China s supply of rare earth metals was painted as a shocking crisis that they d uncovered.

But the series has confronted a few real things. Call of Duty 4 s 'Death From Above' mission, which eerily distances you from the killing, is probably given more credit than it's really due, but was effectively discomforting. Most notably, Modern Warfare 2 s infamous No Russian mission, in which you're forced to participate in a mass shooting of civilians that mirrors the 2008 Mumbai attacks, feels even more callous today. Its slaughter wasn t abstracted or fantastical or comical, as it is when you conquer a city in Civilization or detonate Megaton in Fallout 3, and it was heavily criticized for that. But positive or negative, it demanded an emotional response. It re-sparked questions of where the boundaries of taste in entertainment lie. And, more dispassionately, how playing a level solely meant to disturb and disgust, and not entertain, changed our experience of a narrative and our perspective on interactive violence.

Silly, cigar puffing badasses have been replaced with perfect, compassionate heroes.

Infinite Warfare, meanwhile, clearly wants to make some kind of statement, but desires absolute safety from any interpretation other than reverence for the troops. There are no twists or questionable actions, and its sullen captain enjoys the moral clarity of a righteous battle between good and evil the villains literally hate freedom, and every single one of them is a fair target. The only ethical concern is whether or not Reyes should risk his sailor s lives to save the entire population of the earth from enslavement, to which the answer is, uh, yeah. The resolution of Reyes moral struggle is obvious to everyone but him, because sacrificing the few to save the many is explicitly his purpose that s why he s in the big spaceship shooting at the bad guys. He s an unbelievable character with no chance of moral failure.

I wouldn t want the job of trying to base entertainment on the moral hazard of drone strikes, either.

I don't blame Infinite Warfare for avoiding current events altogether and inventing an easy war to pick sides in. I wouldn t want the job of trying to base entertainment on the moral hazard of drone strikes, either. But even when all they did was say, 'Hm, runaway capitalism might mean Kevin Spacey's private military will enslave us,' the headline-inspired fantasies of the previous games were easily more compelling, and at the same time took themselves less seriously than the space adventure with the funny robot.

Infinite Warfare's story could ve succeeded as an escapist fantasy, or speculated on the moral quagmires of future war, but in the end it fancies itself a somber tribute to fallen soldiers. It's not a compelling one. A game which gave me choices as a commander and let me suffer the consequences might have had a real emotional effect, but Infinite Warfare s tear-jerker ending is just a last ditch effort to convince me I experienced a story of emotional breadth, with real tragedy at its heart. I didn't.

Call of Duty isn t actually afraid of trivializing war, but it now seems afraid to be seen as being trivial. It was better when it tried to be provocative, even when it failed at it, and it was better when it was happy to be a ridiculous serialized thriller, ending with a first-person cigar puff and a dramatic score. The ruthless Captain Price was a thousand times more fun than the conflicted Captain Reyes (RIP).